Workmen's advocate., 1887-03-26
BRIDGEPORT.
Our Correspondent Philosophizes on the White Cross" Agitation.
 and Gives His Opinion,

and Gives His Opinion.
 The movement against sexual Immoral ity, and especially for the protection of female minors, commencing in Great Britain with the Pull MoH Gaeettes ex- posture of English "high life," soon found enthusiastic advocates in America. Rev. DeCosta, of New York, raised the war cry of Personal Purity" on this side of the Atlantic, and the Knights of the White Cross have invaded this goodly city of bridges, where. in spite of the Y, M c. A. and innumerable churches, in spite of democratic" and republican" society savors and chief of police, who has vowed not to have his hair cut until Socialism in this fair land is eradicated, licentlousness of the most loathsome kind is said to prevail,
 People will endow their ideal heroes with their own peculiar notions of valor and virtue. Thus the picture of the crucitied Jewish Communist in Mexico looks like beautiful Mexican, while by the German roadside it generally person. flies Teutonic beauty.
 In Puritanic New England the Per sonal Purity" movement perforce ap- pears in Puritanic dress
 Last Sunday about 800 people, all males and most of them under twenty gathered at Hawes' Opera House to lis- ten to the appeals of the apostles of the "White Cross.'
 fiali o1 the tune was consumed by the singing of hymns. interspersed with prayers and benedictions. The good old Methodist deacon. with his indispensable "Amen, bless the Lord" was there too to assist in the good work.
 When one of the speakers, in that paroxysm of religious fervor. which is so common with our Puritan exhorters, ex- claimed that he thanked the Lord to see so many youthful, earnest people before him, ready to lead better life; that he was sick of appealing to gray haired sin ners beyond moral redemption, stento rian "Amen, bless the Lord rang out from the old deacon's corner.
 "Will all those," continued the ex- cited apostle, "who believe in personal purity, through the blood of Christ arise.' Almost everybody stood up ex- cept your cranky scribe. To the expos tulaton of the speaker I pleaded that I believed in personal purity but not in bloodshed.
 Other speakers rightfully insisted that purity should be equally obligatory on man and woman. Another waxed quite eloquent in describing the wrong done by society when we disgrace fallen wo- men but hospitably invite to our fireside lao, al, al tI woman's ruin.
 None of these "trmmers' seemed for d minute to dream of the economic causes underlying sexual as well as other ex- cesses.
 The importance of raising the age of consent of girls to at least 16, instead of 7, 10 and II. as existing now in some of the States, was urged, but not one over thought of suggesting the idea of accord ing to woman her political rights, if only for the protection of her younger sisters.
 cannot omit charming anachronisin used by one of the crusaders. By the way of illustration he related the biblical story of how Davi., the great and wise king of the Jews, sacrificed his general to the enemy in order to execute his i'm moral designs against the latter's wife; how, on the other hand, the virtuous Joseph successfully escaped the hladish- ments of his masters wife, Potiphar. What protected this poor slaves inno- cenceY It was the spirit of Christ r
 Apropos: This same virtuous Joseph, the model for every Y. M. c. A., later on advised the unsophisticated Egyptian monarch how to speculate in the neces- saries of life and practice the vilest kind of usury against his starving subjects. This is the first record we have of a corner in grain.
 Considering the fact that many poor Palestinian Jew, thanks to this biblical story, is to-day enabled to eke out liv- ing by selling to pious Christian relic hunters the only genuine remnants of Joseph's gown. left in Potiphar's hands on his lucky escape, let us forget his per nicious activity while in politics and re- turn to Bridgeport, where the political pot is boiling over. The independent labor ticket is complete, headed by an honest carpenter, whose shocking char acter, including the record of his ances- tors, will be exposed by the capitalistic ''press cossaks" during the next two vpelxs nrayiouS to election CRANK